Telangana: Shivakumar-led team assigned to prevent poaching of Congress MLAs
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader DK Shivakumar reportedly arrived in Hyderabad, Telangana, on Saturday along with 10 ministers. The Congress Party has tasked him with safeguarding the party's candidates amid exit poll predictions of a decisive victory for the grand old party in the state, India Today reported, citing sources. The party's high command has reportedly assigned Shivakumar the responsibility of maintaining unity among the party leaders and preventing poaching of winning candidates.
Why does this story matter?
The Congress is looking to return to power in the southern state after nearly a decade. In the 2014 assembly polls, the party lost to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), then Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which emerged as the single-largest party. There are 119 assembly seats in Telangana, and the ruling BRS is contesting in all constituencies. Currently, the BRS has 101 seats, the Congress five, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) three, and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) seven assembly seats.
Man-to-man protection for candidates during counting: Report
To ensure the security of MLA candidates during the Telangana Assembly election vote counting, which began at 8:00am on Sunday, the Congress has assigned a worker to each candidate, according to India Today. This man-to-man protection is reportedly expected to last throughout the day. Shivakumar, known as the "problem-solver," expressed confidence in his MLAs and the Congress's victory in Telangana on Saturday, stating that "it is impossible to poach the party's MLAs."
Congress to win Telangana with 42% vote share: Exit polls
India Today-Axis My India exit polls indicate that the Congress is poised to win in Telangana with a 42% vote share and 68 seats. In contrast, the incumbent BRS is predicted to secure 39 seats and a 36% vote share. Amid this forecast, Shivakumar dismissed reports that his party asked him to gather winning candidates from the five recently voted states at hotels in Karnataka, per NDTV. "There is no need for them (MLAs) to go anywhere," he had said.
Know about Telangana polls
At least 2,290 candidates were in the fray for 119 assembly seats in the state, including those fighting as independents. The polling was held for all seats in a single phase. Several top leaders, including BRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and his minister-son KT Rama Rao are in the fray. Notably, the BRS has fielded KCR from two constituencies—Gajwel and Kamareddy. He is up against BJP MLA Etala Rajender in Gajwel.
